Hawaii, October 21, 1907

The term community silver, versus regular plate silver, comes from the fact that it was made by the Oneida community. 

Founded in Oneida, New York, in 1848, the community was a religious commune that believed in Perfectionism and Free Love. Their leader, John Humphrey Noyes, told the group they had achieved sanctification, and that therefore it was impossible for them to sin. They settled in New York after fleeing Vermont in 1847 because Noyes, recently arrested for adultery, and many of his followers had fresh warrants out for their arrest.

Free love was one of the founding principles of the group, and any member could have consensual sex with anyone else.  Women over the age of 40 were to act as sexual “mentors” to adolescent boys, as these relationships had minimal chance of conceiving. Monogamy and individual family-building was frowned upon (and indeed, considered selfish) because it was believed that all children should be the whole communities responsibility.

The community floundered when John Noyes tried to pass control of the community onto his son. Due to Theodore Noyes lack of leadership skills, and rather vocal concerns from the surrounding area about the communal marriages, the community was dismantled in 1881. 

The community probably would have fallen apart anyways, because the second generation, the children born and brought up in the community, showed a decided preference for isolated and monogamous relationships.

Oneida silverware is still produced globally.